Whether it's Captain Hook in "Peter Pan" or Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean," children find sea-faring crooks to be irresistibly funny rather than sinister, so the new Pantochino musical "Pirate Schmirate!" has a built-in audience.

"I think it's the sense of adventure that appeals to kids. It's another world and they never think pirates will get them," writer and director Bert Bernardi said of the Pantochino production running Friday to Sunday, March 28 to 30, at the Milford Center for the Arts.

"Milford does a Pirate Day every June and it's a real fun dress-up experience for kids. We're getting a head start on that," he said of the original musical about lady pirates, handsome princes and unicorns thrown together on an enchanted island.

"The show is very, very silly. We throw in everything but the kitchen sink. It spans every period and we have a lot of audience involvement in this show," Bernardi said.

Pantochino does all original productions. Bernardi said he has been wanting to do a pirate show for a long time in the tradition of the rowdy British genre of family theater that gave his company its name -- panto.

"I thought I'd go back to what I do best -- a totally outlandish show. I didn't worry about where it was going when I wrote it -- I just had fun with it," he said of the mash-up of different pirate lore and plenty of anachronistic modern-day elements.

Composer Justin Rigg has supplied "Pirate Schmirate!" with what Bernardi describes as "old sea shanteys with a pop feeling. They are really catchy and there's one that I guarantee everyone will go out singing."

The show is a throwback to Bernardi's early days at Bridgeport's Downtown Cabaret Theatre. "I said I wanted to be a director and (co-founder) Susan Hallinan handed me 10 or 12 pantos. It has been so much fun to work on one again."

When asked what has been the secret of his long-time success in children's theater, Bernardi said, "I've been very lucky. There's not really a formula that I use. I'm just happy to continue to get crazy ideas for shows, and I've been lucky to work with talented actors and composers who all get what I'm doing."